European Vocational Skills Week 2018

Vienna hosted the European Vocational Skills Week (EVSW) from 5th through 9th of November 2018

From 5th November on, people had and will have the opportunity to find out about the opportunities and chances of Vocational Education and Training at more than 1,500 events taking place throughout Europe until December 2018 in the framework of #EUVocationalSkills. The motto of the EVSW was ‘Discover your talent’ with the aim to promote the benefits of this education. This year, the European Commission, together with the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, organised the third European Vocational Skills Week main event in Vienna to put Vocational Education and Training in the right spotlight. The EVBB had a key role in several side events including a meeting of the VET Providers on the Future of VET.

The EVBB meeting Commissioner Marianne Thyssen at the closing event of EVSW

A good choice for the future
Marianne Thyssen, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, said: “For the third year running, we want to show how vocational education and training opens the door to exciting and well-paid jobs in all areas of life, such as pilots, film-makers, aeronautical technicians, to name but a few. At the same time, vocational education and training provides the skills needed on the labour market in the 21st century and it is therefore a particular pleasure for me that we are seizing the opportunity again throughout Europe to promote these benefits”.

Advantages of vocational education and training
The aim of the event week is to make it clear that it makes sense for both young people and adults to opt for vocational education and training that provides a high-quality workplace and better employability. The week thus contributes to the European competence agenda and to the implementation of the European pillar of social rights. With the European Vocational Skills Week, the European Commission aims to raise awareness of the wide range of opportunities offered by vocational education and training and to encourage more people to take advantage of them. This year is also about the future of vocational education and training in the digital and international context.

Events across Europe
The week included kick-off events and employer days in several Member States, 26 national and European ambassadors to promote the initiative and awards for excellence in vocational education and training during the week. The first European Vocational Skills Week took place in 2016. The second week (2017) saw 1585 events across Europe with a total of 1 million participants. An overview of the events can be found on the European Vocational Skills Week website. In addition, organisations, bodies and institutions can continue to register events there.

Meeting of the VET Providers
Within the framework of the European Vocational Skills Week, the VET providers of Europe came together for a meeting on the Future of VET. After the opening, president of the EVBB, Thiemo Fojkar, started the session of the VET providers with stating five demands that are needed to foster Vocational Education & Training in the future. Other stakeholders of the main VET associations (see below) followed.

Awards for VET ExcellenceThe Awards for VET Excellence 2018, handed out by Commissioner Thyssen during the closing conference of the 2018 VET Skills Week, celebrate outstanding examples of vocational education and training in Europe and act as a benchmark for excellence across the field. One of the nominees in the category of the VET Innovators was our member ISQ Portugal.
More information about the winners of the awards can be found here.